SAFETY OF SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS AND STUDENTS

Ms. Cox:I am a substitute bus driver for Troup County School District.  I am writing in desperation that something will be done to change the operation of transportation.  I along with other sub drivers are required to drive routes daily with incorrect route sheets.  This may seem futile, however, this has caused students to become hostile on buses upset that the sub doesn't know where they are going.  There have been outbreaks of fights, children upset, objects being thrown at bus drivers, cursing at drivers, and cause for distractive driving with little to no back up whatsoever.  I had an elementary student just yesterday that had no idea of how to get to his house and neither did I.  His stop was not on the route sheet.  He was forced to stay on the bus while I called in twice for directions and was given wrong directions.  I had to transport him to a middle school where I was to pick up students and have a lead driver enter bus and ride with me to get him home.  All the while his frantic mother is calling transportation upset and the elementary school is calling upset.  He was forced to stay on the bus for approximately an 1 hr 1/2 longer then he should have. 
This is a daily occurrence with students arriving home late due to wrong directions.  Each week there is a situation where students are not even picked up for school on time or at all because of wrong directions, leaving students standing in the dark for up to 45 minutes awaiting for a bus to come or the parent ends up taking them (if the parent is still home).  We are repeatedly told to ask a student how to get them home.  Management knows the route sheets are wrong.  They say they are working on it.  I have been told this for over a year now.  When I ask what the problem is?  I am told by one staff member that Perm Drivers are supposed to update route sheets and they are not doing it.  Another staff member tells me, "We don't have enough staff personal to update the routes", and most recently I was told by Assistant Director of Transportation, "We have a bug in our program for Edulog".  Either way, this situation is making driving hazardous, dangerous, and cause for unnecessary accidents which have been numerous this past few months.  When a driver is going the wrong way it is difficult to drive when you have an entire bus shouting at you and cursing.  You can pull your bus over and discipline, but it doesn't last for long.  When you write these students up or complain about the volatile situations the driver is looked at as incompetent. A student should be able to arrive at school ready to learn.  How can they when they are worried they won't even make it to school on time?  I've seen students cry worried they won't make home on time to get to their jobs, baby sit their siblings, or they just become belligerent and out of hand.  This matter has been brought up several times not only by me but many of the other drivers each time there has been a meeting.  I have spoken to the heads of the department.  We always are told..."We are working on it".All we are told is about the budget cuts, lack of staff, and what the District is doing to cut cost.  It seems to me that if the District is trying to cut cost, they would be looking at the fuel cost and hours that are extended due to lack of communication, incorrect route sheets and driving excessively to get a student home or picked up.
Another concern:I personally have driven buses that are overcrowded beyond the loading limit according to GA Code 160-5-3-13 (student safety) which in turn has caused aggressive behavior on buses.  I have been verbally and physically attacked by students that know they will not face any disciplinary action.  The schools are not standing by on their zero tolerance of violent behavior.  It can take up to a month before someone pulls a video tape from our buses and by then the evidence is gone.  I have been so frightened to take certain routes due to being physically threatened by students that I was told to just take a few days off and regroup.  A co-worker of mine was physically attacked by another student just recently and nothing was done. Assistant Director of Transportation has taken action to place any bus driver available in shop to ride as a monitor to begin ensuring the safety of drivers and students, however, there isn't enough sub drivers to do that.  We are constantly put in dangerous situations daily.  Trying to maneuver a bus with unmanageable students and read an incorrect route sheet or deal with 50 plus students shouting directions is an accident or fatality waiting to happen.
According to a sub drivers position description.  I am to transport students safely.  I nor anyone else can do that with entering a route daily that is confusing, disruptive, and violent.Sincerely,Concerned Driver and Parent 

Ms. Cox:I am a substitute bus driver for Troup County School District.  I am writing in desperation that something will be done to change the operation of transportation.  I along with other sub drivers are required to drive routes daily with incorrect route sheets.  This may seem futile, however, this has caused students to become hostile on buses upset that the sub doesn't know where they are going.  There have been outbreaks of fights, children upset, objects being thrown at bus drivers, cursing at drivers, and cause for distractive driving with little to no back up whatsoever.  I had an elementary student just yesterday that had no idea of how to get to his house and neither did I.  His stop was not on the route sheet.  He was forced to stay on the bus while I called in twice for directions and was given wrong directions.  I had to transport him to a middle school where I was to pick up students and have a lead driver enter bus and ride with me to get him home.  All the while his frantic mother is calling transportation upset and the elementary school is calling upset.  He was forced to stay on the bus for approximately an 1 hr 1/2 longer then he should have. 
This is a daily occurrence with students arriving home late due to wrong directions.  Each week there is a situation where students are not even picked up for school on time or at all because of wrong directions, leaving students standing in the dark for up to 45 minutes awaiting for a bus to come or the parent ends up taking them (if the parent is still home).  We are repeatedly told to ask a student how to get them home.  Management knows the route sheets are wrong.  They say they are working on it.  I have been told this for over a year now.  When I ask what the problem is?  I am told by one staff member that Perm Drivers are supposed to update route sheets and they are not doing it.  Another staff member tells me, "We don't have enough staff personal to update the routes", and most recently I was told by Assistant Director of Transportation, "We have a bug in our program for Edulog".  Either way, this situation is making driving hazardous, dangerous, and cause for unnecessary accidents which have been numerous this past few months.  When a driver is going the wrong way it is difficult to drive when you have an entire bus shouting at you and cursing.  You can pull your bus over and discipline, but it doesn't last for long.  When you write these students up or complain about the volatile situations the driver is looked at as incompetent. A student should be able to arrive at school ready to learn.  How can they when they are worried they won't even make it to school on time?  I've seen students cry worried they won't make home on time to get to their jobs, baby sit their siblings, or they just become belligerent and out of hand.  This matter has been brought up several times not only by me but many of the other drivers each time there has been a meeting.  I have spoken to the heads of the department.  We always are told..."We are working on it".All we are told is about the budget cuts, lack of staff, and what the District is doing to cut cost.  It seems to me that if the District is trying to cut cost, they would be looking at the fuel cost and hours that are extended due to lack of communication, incorrect route sheets and driving excessively to get a student home or picked up.
Another concern:I personally have driven buses that are overcrowded beyond the loading limit according to GA Code 160-5-3-13 (student safety) which in turn has caused aggressive behavior on buses.  I have been verbally and physically attacked by students that know they will not face any disciplinary action.  The schools are not standing by on their zero tolerance of violent behavior.  It can take up to a month before someone pulls a video tape from our buses and by then the evidence is gone.  I have been so frightened to take certain routes due to being physically threatened by students that I was told to just take a few days off and regroup.  A co-worker of mine was physically attacked by another student just recently and nothing was done. Assistant Director of Transportation has taken action to place any bus driver available in shop to ride as a monitor to begin ensuring the safety of drivers and students, however, there isn't enough sub drivers to do that.  We are constantly put in dangerous situations daily.  Trying to maneuver a bus with unmanageable students and read an incorrect route sheet or deal with 50 plus students shouting directions is an accident or fatality waiting to happen.
According to a sub drivers position description.  I am to transport students safely.  I nor anyone else can do that with entering a route daily that is confusing, disruptive, and violent.Sincerely,Concerned Driver and Parent